Rare archival film footage, letters, logs, Western Union telegrams and other historical documents were used in Aleut Story to create a vivid and emotionally powerful landscape of experience.

Among the most powerful documents are the Agent’s Logs, now preserved by the National Archives & Records Administration Pacific Alaska Region office. With assistance from archivist Bruce Parham, Director/Writer Marla Williams and Associate Producer Jessi Roullier explored this extraordinary record of life and death in the camps and on the islands, excerpting entries for use in the film.

In this section, you’ll find the Agent’s Logs, official correspondence, petitions to the government and more. For a brief tour of NARA Pacific Alaska Region be sure to visit our Special Features — Bonus Scenes.

Many of the historical documents available in this section are from the National Archives & Records Administration, a remarkable public trust with a network of repositories across the country.

Many other items come from the Library of Congress, the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States and largest library in the world with more than 130 million items on some 530 miles of bookshelves. A short interview with the Librarian of Congress, Dr. James H. Billington, is also included in our Special Features — Bonus Scenes.

To learn more about the National Archives & Records Administration, The Library of Congress, and numerous other sources of information click on In the Classroom.

Teachers: For ideas on how to incorporate Aleut Story and related primary documents available on this website, click on In the Classroom, then Teacher’s Guide.

Letter from Lee McMillin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent-in-Charge, St. Paul Island/Funter Bay, to Edward C. Johnson, Superintendent, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Seattle, expressing concern for Aleuts’ welfare and his decision to resign.

Item from: Record Group 22: Records of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 1868 – 2001